Laurie
by MrsRickGrimes
Summary: The year is 1963 & Laurie Winchester is a class four mutant unable to control her own powers. Charles Xavier wants to help her but Erik Lensherr wants her to remain as she is. An unhealthy relationship develops between her and Erik which only complicates matters (AU, First Class, Days Of Future Past, Films)
1. Lost

**Lost**

Laurie struggled to open her eyes, the terrible images of figures in white lab coats stabbing her with needles burned into her mind. She imagined she was drowning, and thrashed violently in the water in a desperate, futile attempt to reach the surface. Voices drifted in and out as she let herself drift upwards towards the surface of consciousness, pushing her eyes open and focused on the blurred figure standing at the foot of her bed. Laurie pushed herself up on her elbows, blinking at the young man with a thick head of brown hair and light blue eyes. Feeling detached and confused, she looked around the room, seeing nothing more than an ugly overstuffed easy chair in the corner. The man raised his left finger to his temple and she watched with wide eyes as he approached her.

"Don't be afraid, Laurie. You're safe now" he said softly. "My name is Charles Xavier and I am just like you...a mutant."

"Where am I?" she murmured watching as he poured some water into a glass.

"North Salem, New York" he answered holding the glass of water out for her to take but she simply stared at him, suspicion burning in her red rimmed eyes.

"What do you want from me?"

Charles slowly rested the glass on the bedside table, watching as her green eyes began to darken and he held his breath as the door began to rattle violently. He didn't say a word as he watched her clench her fists until her knuckles turned white and he jumped as the glass smashed onto the floor. The entire room began to shake and Charles looked wildly at her seeing the terrible look of fear return to her face_...she can't control her power..._

"Laurie, focus. I need you to focus" he said, holding her face with both hands as he forced her to look at him.

"I...can't" she struggled to speak, her chest tightening as the bulb above them both exploded.

"Look at me, I can help you, Laurie, look at me!" Charles shouted desperation in his voice.

Laurie let out a stifled cry as she felt herself lose the battle when Charles' voice filled her head. Her eyes widened, suddenly focusing on him in that second and it was enough for him to bring her back. A sudden calmness filled Laurie's body and she sunk into the bed as he sent her mind into a fitful sleep.

* * *

"Trask wasn't involved in this, Erik..." Charles said.

"She was being experimented on, Charles! Those bastards had her strapped to that bed -" Erik shouted over him.

"I read her mind, Erik...those doctors...I think they were trying to help her!"

"Help her! Have you lost your mind - "

"Let Charles finish" Hank almost shouted, rearranging his glasses nervously as Erik cast him a killer look.

"You weren't there, Erik. You didn't see...I have never come across a mutant with this amount of power before... She couldn't control it," explained Charles rubbing his head furiously. "I strongly believe that her powers are seated in the unconscious part of her mind and there lies the danger."

"You think she could be dangerous?" Raven asked, concern crossing her face as she shared a look with Hank.

"Yes...I believe she could be a danger, not only to us but to herself. Her powers are completely unstable."

"Then what do you propose we do, Charles? Send her back to those butchers, do you know what it's like have needles stuck in you while you're screaming at them to stop? To be given a number for a name? Is that what you want for her?" exasperated Erik.

"I want to help her! But the only way I can... is to isolate her powers from her conscious mind but I don't know what ability she will have left, if any at all-"

Everyone stopped and turned to look at the small figure standing in the doorway, her long, blonde hair hanging like rat tails. Her skin was a stark white and the hospital gown she was wearing hung off her slender frame. Laurie moved back immediately as Erik approached her and Charles looked above them as the chandelier began to rattle violently.

"Erik" warned Charles as the lights began to flicker but his friend simply stood in front of Laurie, watching as her eyes turned a fluorescent golden.

"Perfection" he murmured.

* * *

_"Gotta go, little bit" Logan whispered, and kissed her forehead lightly. He straightened up and slipped a chain from around his neck, holding onto the dog tags so they wouldn't clink together as he carefully slipped it around her neck and tucked it out of sight under her shirt. "You'll be safe here. Stay sharp, and get strong again."_

Laurie woke up from a fitful sleep, sunlight streaming through the large bay window as she sat up. As she moved, she felt something cold moving against her skin. She fished it out from under her shirt and frowned in confusion at what appeared to be a pair of military-issue dog tags. She turned them sideways and stared in total confusion at the name and date of birth on the tags. _Wolverine._ She was still staring at them when Charles walked in, carrying a cup of something hot.

"How are you feeling?" he asked noticing a significant change in her already.

"Hazy" she murmured letting the tags drop down onto her shirt as he came over and set the cup down.

"I was hoping you were going to say you were hungry. Raven's made pancakes" smirked Charles sitting on the edge of the bed.

"When are you going to help me?" Laurie asked and the smile faded from Charles lips as he saw the bitterness in her eyes.


	2. One Of Them

**One Of Them**

Laurie peered through the glass door at the patio, looking out into the extensive grounds. It was almost tranquil and she longed to take a walk, to feel the sun against her skin once more. But Charles had given her specific instructions not to leave the mansion alone as he wasn't sure if there were people still looking for her. He had grown quiet when she told him she couldn't remember how she had arrived at the facility that was holding her. There were windows of memory that she could access: the bright lights, the injections that filled her with searing pain. But time seemed to bleed together and she wasn't even sure how long she had been there. He probed her further with questions about her life before and Laurie winced, telling him it would be easier for him just to read her mind.

_"I will not be entering that head of yours again unless I have to, Laurie. Last time, I was left with a severe migraine and perpetual nosebleed."_

Charles had left her then, telling her to come and join the others when she felt ready. Some of Raven's clothes had been left draped on the sideboard for her to wear and she dressed slowly, her muscles sore as she pulled on the flared jeans that were too long for her.

"There you are," said a voice, and Laurie glanced sideways and stepped away slightly as Erik suddenly appeared beside her.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that," she said, a touch of ice in her voice as her heart rate returned to normal.

"Well, I'm not going to start wearing a bell around my neck."

Laurie shifted, feeling a touch of discomfort as he studied her without expression. Erik studied her in silence for a few seconds longer, not moving from where he stood. She lifted her chin stubbornly and returned his stare, but soon found she had to look away from him, which she knew was betraying her nervousness.

"So...what is it you can do?" she blurted out trying to steer the attention from herself onto him.

She watched as a small smile crept across Erik's lips and he raised his hand floating a small dog ornament molded out of metal from the bookshelf. He held it in the air for a long moment, slowly changing it's shape until it was completely flat and rested the metal slab onto the table.

"I can only manipulate metal but you can do anything...anything you can think of...Laurie, I want you to consider all your options before you let Charles turn you into one of them" stated Erik closing the distance between them.

"One of them?" she repeated as he traced a finger down her cheek.

"Do you know what I saw when I first looked at you? I saw the next stage of evolution and I thought to myself why would Charles want to turn this goddess into a mortal? I want you as you are. As nature intended."

* * *

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" asked Laurie, shifting in her seat as Erik drove Charles Ford Zephyr down the winding back-roads towards Boston.

"Disobeying Charles, oh yes. Don't worry, we'll be back in time for supper" he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"No, I mean...going to my apartment. Do you have a cigarette?"

"You can't remember anything, Laurie...there might be something in your apartment that might shed some light and pinpoint who those bastards are. Charles wants to forget but I will not abandon our mutant brothers and sisters" said Erik fishing into his pocket and threw a half filled cigarette pack on her lap.

"Why don't you just go back to the hospital where you found me?" Laurie asked, as she lit the cigarette with a lighter she found in the dash and took three long drags, then rolled her own window down and flicked the butt out with an exaggerated flair.

"It wasn't a hospital you were being held in. It was a storage facility turned into some sort of makeshift lab, those bastards fled as soon as we arrived. There was nothing there...You know, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be smoking" Erik said raising an eyebrow at her.

"There might be nothing at my apartment either. Erik, I don't think we should be doing this, Charles told me not to leave the mansion alone."

"You're not alone" Erik stated as he maneuvered the car around a sharp bend in the road and the Boston skyline came into view.

* * *

"She's gone, she's bloody gone" exclaimed Charles.

"Do you think Erik's taken her?" asked Hank watching as Charles sank into his armchair, a look of defeat on his face.

"Of course she's with Erik! You saw how he was when I mentioned that I could suppress her powers...his obsession with mutant supremacy. He has no idea what he is dealing with."

"He took your car" added Raven and Charles shot her a disgruntled look.

"Yes..thank-you Raven. I did notice" he scorned sharing a look with Hank as she rolled her eyes.

"Do you think... he's coming back?" Hank asked after a long moment of silence.

"For her sake... I hope he does."

* * *

"Your place?" asked Erik as he slowly pulled up to an old brownstone townhouse with a small garden in front.

"Second floor" Laurie murmured, adrenaline surging through her head suddenly, making her dizzy.

She could hear her breathing start to catch in her throat and Erik caught hold of her arm, watching as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her breathing became more labored as the adrenaline surged through her entire body. She didn't know what was happening and began to feel as if she was being swallowed by a great darkness.

"Laurie...what's wrong? Laurie, answer me!"

Erik's voice filled her ears but he sounded as if he was under the water, a hundred miles away and she was hearing a muffled echo. Hands gripped her shoulders and she heard something shatter nearby. But she was slipping into the blackness...

"Laurie!"

The sound of her name snapped her eyes back into focus and Erik watched as her eyes returned back to their normal colour. Glass littered the sidewalk from where she had blown out the headlights on Charles car and he cursed silently, loosening his grip on her.

"I'm sorry..." Laurie breathed, stumbling out of the car.

Erik followed her watching as she leant against the hood of the car, her face a stark white as she placed a hand over her mouth as if she was going to be sick. Her arms and legs were shaking and he reaching into his back pocket retrieving a small flask of whiskey

"Drink this, it will numb the shock" he murmured and she took a few sips, grimacing at the bitter taste.

"Thanks" she said simply not knowing what else to say as she shoved the flask back into his hand and moved past him.

Her heart was drumming in her ears, every sense heightened as she pushed through the broken security door into the apartment block. She knew Erik was right behind her and didn't even flinch when he pulled her around to face him, his eyes locked onto hers.

"We need to talk about what just happened there-"

"It happened, I'm fine, now lets just get on with this" Laurie interrupted him, pulling out his grasp but he grabbed her again, pinning her against the wall.

"You're not fine! You were fine back in the car driving here. Something set you off, something triggered your powers..what was it?"

"I don't know! I don't know!" Laurie shouted in rage, pummeling him with her fists. "It just happens! And everytime it does, I feel like I'm going to die!"


	3. Been A Long Time

**Been A Long Time**

Erik glanced around the small flat noting a man's leather jacket strewn over the back of the settee and the cigar butts that filled an ashtray on the sideboard. Laurie appeared from the bedroom carrying a large holdall filled with clothes and dropped it onto the floor. She flopped back down onto the armchair tying her hair into a messy bun and Erik felt a smirk tugging at his lips as he sat down across from her.

"I didn't take you as the type of girl that smoked cigars" he commented crossing over his legs.

"I don't" Laurie answered, bemusement in her tone as she pulled at the chain around her neck.

"Were you living with someone? Boyfriend perhaps?" asked Erik leaning forward and she glanced up to meet his gaze.

"Nope it was just me...Erik, there's nothing here...we should get back."

Erik twitched his fingers and Laurie felt the chain pull free from her neck. She shot him a look as he levitated the pair of dog tags into his hand and studied the line of numbers that were punched into the metal. A sickening recognition filled him and he clenched his jaw hard, the veins throbbing furiously in his neck.

"Where did you get these?" he asked as he tried to keep his tone even.

"Huh?...I don't know...I was wearing them when I woke up."

Erik clenched his fist and dug the cold metal against his skin as he tried to keep his breathing steady. Laurie was looking at him strangely clearly sensing something was bothering him and he rose to his feet, sliding the dog tags into his pocket.

"Let's go" he said simply.

* * *

Charles stood with Hank in the courtyard at the front of the mansion as his Ford Zephyr pulled up on the gravel driveway. His legs were already moving towards Erik as he climbed out the drivers side and Charles let out a small sigh of relief when he saw Laurie. She was staring at him with wide nervous eyes and mouthed that she was sorry. He bit down on his jaw casting a backwards glance at Erik who was lifting a large holdall from the boot and signalled for her to go inside. Hank shoved his hands in his pockets forcing a smile as Laurie approached him but she kept her eyes to the ground and blanked Hank completely when he offered to take her bag.

"Before you say anything, Charles...have a look at this first" Erik stated and Charles hesitated as Erik tucked a pair of dog tags in his hand.

"What is this?" he asked turning them over. _Wolverine._

"Those were around her neck, Charles...There is only one man that bears those numbers as his mark. Sebastian Shaw."

Charles stiffened, the name Sebastian Shaw sending a chill down his spine. Erik pulled up his sleeve revealing the line of numbers that were tattooed on his skin and traced his finger over the black ink, his jaw clenched so hard Charles thought his teeth would break.

"We will find him, Erik and he will pay what he did to you."

"He will die for what he did to me" stated Erik a coldness in his voice as his steely blue eyes locked with Charles.

* * *

Everyone had gathered in the mansions large living room and there was a sense of uneasiness in the air. Raven sat on the floor and Erik had positioned himself behind her so she could lean back against him. He rested his chin on her head, lost in his own thoughts. Laurie sat at the back table with Charles, feeling as if she was going to be sick as he informed her about his suspicions she had been taken for experimentation purposes had been confirmed. She had stared at him in shock when he told her that the man responsible was the same man that had experimented on Erik when he was a boy and she felt her control slipping as the lights began to flicker a little. Hank glanced back at them worried she might blow another bulb and Raven shifted in Eriks arms watching as Charles gripped onto Laurie's hand.

"Will he come looking for me?" she breathed and Charles saw fear flash in her eyes.

"I'm not going to lie to you...I think he will. But I promise you Laurie...there will be hell to pay if he does."

Laurie nodded, biting down on her lip as she tried to regain her composure and Charles reached into his pocket, resting the pair of dog tags onto the table. She laced a finger over the engraved lettering of Wolverine and he cleared his throat studying her face for any sign of recognition but there was nothing.

* * *

_When you're strange _  
_ Faces come out of the rain _  
_ When you're strange _  
_ No one remembers your name _  
_ When you're strange..._

_"You all right?" Logan asked closing the door behind him._

_ He handed Laurie a bottle of whiskey, which looked as if it had just been opened, and sat down next to her as she took a long gulp and grimaced at the taste._

_"No," she said handing the bottle back to him. "But Emma is going to get hurt if I see her before I get too drunk to care."_

_"And people think I'm the dangerous one," Logan muttered._

_"Only because they've seen you when you get mad," Laurie replied leaning her head against his shoulder. _

_They passed the bottle back and forth a few times, letting the warmth of the alcohol soak in and numb the edges of recent events. She felt his fingers playing with her hair and raised her face to look straight at him. He hesitated for only a brief moment before leaning forward to kiss her, her skin smelling of soap and whiskey. _

Logan splashed cold water onto this face and leant on the edge of the sink closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to push the memory of Laurie to the back of his mind. He glanced back at Kayla who was lying sprawled across the torn sheets of their bed and shook his head. He often had nightmares about all the wars he had fought in which would result in him waking up in the middle of the night, his bone claws ripping up the bedsheets and nearly skewering Kayla. But the last few nights, he had been dreaming of Laurie and it cut him up inside.

_She's better off without me_


End file.
